Don't bet against Blake on 'American Idol'
Posted: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 7:46 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
Sanjaya has only been gone two weeks, and it's as if he never existed. All the "Idol" fans who bemoaned his presence on the show and tried to blame the entire country of India for keeping him around have been quiet lately. Every season, viewers wail about how the voting messes things up, but almost every season, things straighten out by the end.
This year, it took until the show got down to the final four, but it's hard to argue with the remaining singers. Melinda Doolittle has been the favorite to win since the beginning. LaKisha Jones has had occasional struggles, but for much of the season, she was right up there almost as good as Melinda. Teen Jordin Sparks has both a winning smile and a voice that belies the fact that she and Sanjaya are the same age -- 17. But it's Blake Lewis, the only male singer remaining, who has managed to mix a fun personality with a good voice and a sense of creativity towards his music that goes beyond the simple beatboxer label.
Melinda's been my pick all along, but I'm wavering a little now. Blake has shown viewers something that no other "Idol" singer has displayed so far. He's a little reminiscent of the rare season when "America's Next Top Model" features a model who actually can name three Vogue photographers and can hold her own in an interview.
Whatever you thought of his performance of "You Give Love a Bad Name," it was ambitious, creative and fun. Bon Jovi worried about him before he sang, describing it as "Sixteen measures of him not singing on a show that's supposed to showcase singers." And had Blake seen it written down that way, he, too, might have had second thoughts. But he has what all real artists have -- an innate confidence and a trust in himself.
Melinda could still win, but I wouldn't bet against the beatboxer from Seattle.
